Watch out for these great Black Friday deals

As a high school student in 2004, Michael Brim helped fuel the Black Friday frenzy when he began leaking sales from retailers online.

Much has changed since then, but Brim still describes Black Friday as "bar none, the best day to go out and have the best chance of getting the best deal of the year."

Brim started the website BFads.net while he was still in high school, looking for the best deals so he could scoop up those items and resell them on eBay to make some extra money. Lawyers unsuccessfully tried to stop him from announcing deals before retailers were ready.

"We received quite a few legal takedown requests when we started," Brim said.

These days, retailers have changed their strategy and are working with him to help create shopping buzz. At age 26, he still operates the website out of his parents’ home in San Jose, Calif.

Brim has identified four top deals to look for on Friday.

Watch for Target to offer a 50-inch HDTV for $230, he said. And Best Buy has an offer for a Kindle Fire HD 7-inch tablet for $100.

Something rare: Apple products on sale. Brim said the best deal looks to be from Target on an iPad Air for $480 with a $100 gift card -- which, used together, means you'll get $120 off.

Finally, shoppers should look for Walmart's offer of a 32-inch HDTV for $100. Brim said they're guaranteeing they'll have it for the first hour of Black Friday, and if they run out, they’ll give you a rain check to have it before Christmas.

This year, a major shift is taking place regarding Black Friday. More stores will open their doors on Thanksgiving Day instead of waiting until nighttime or Friday morning.

More than 35 million people went shopping on Thanksgiving night last year, prompting more stores to join the trend this year. And when you combine that with Cyber Monday, the shopping dynamic is changing.

"It's, in a sense, morphed into one big Thanksgiving weekend shopping bonanza," consumer expert Dr. Audrey Guskey said. "And so, the Black Friday shopping as we knew it is probably not going to be as stellar and glamorous and glitzy as it used to be."

Guskey said it’s important to use a smartphone to compare prices, use coupons directly from the phone and ask for a price match if you find a better deal.

Brim has developed a BFads.net app to help you navigate around the deals and save the most money.

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